Most computing systems can receive input from a user via an input device such as a mouse. The mouse can allow the user to move an input pointer, e.g., a cursor, in a user interface (UI) on a display screen of the computing system and to make a selection in the UI with the pointer, thereby triggering various operations in the computing system. The mouse can include a mechanism, such as an optical sensor, a trackball, a gyroscope, an accelerometer, and so on, for tracking its motion, which can be translated into signals that the computing system can use to move the input pointer in the UI. The motion of the mouse can generally correspond to the motion of the input pointer in the UI. Thus, by moving the mouse on a surface, the user can move the input pointer in similar directions in the UI.
The mouse can also include a mechanism, such as a click button, a scroll wheel, a touch panel, and so on, for data selection in the UI, which can be translated into signals that the computing system can use to select display elements in the UI corresponding to various operations in the computing system. Click buttons and scroll wheels, as physically manipulable mechanisms, can simply rely on the user to press or rotate them to perform data selection. Touch panels, on the other hand, can rely on the user to make a recognizable gesture on a touch surface of the touch panel to perform data selection.
Since certain fingers can perform certain gestures, which can be associated with particular operations of the computing system, it is important to distinguish palm touches on the touch surface of the touch panel from finger and thumb touches so as to avoid the palm touch triggering the wrong operation on the computing system.